Whenever You Call Series: Looking For Love
by La Loba de Mibu
Summary: Duo has always been a very perceptive guy; which is why when he notices Wufei sinking into depression after a botched Preventer assignment, he decides to step in. But is the botched assignment really all that has been bothering Wufei? 1x2, unrequited 5x2


**Disclaimer: **I don't own 'em, so don't sue me!

**Arc:** _Whenever You Call_

**Story Title:** Step 2 -- Looking For Love  
**Author:** La Loba de Mibu  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Genre:** Romance, Shounen ai  
**Pairing:** 1+2, unrequited 5+2  
**Summary:** Duo has always been a very perceptive person; which is why when he notices Wufei spiraling into a deep depression after a botched Preventer's assignment, he decides to step in. But is the botched assignment really all that has been bothering Wufei?  
**Word Count:** 4541  
**Author Notes:** This takes place in the _Whenever You Call_ universe. It is set several years after the fic: "_**It starts …**_", but can be read as a stand alone. At this point, the pilots 01,02, and 05 are about 17-18, and established Preventer Agents. Heero and Duo are also roommates, and not quite yet involved romantically.

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* * *

Whenever You Call -- Step 2_ --Looking For Love--_

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"Okay, let's get started . . ." Heero sighed as he sat down at his desk in the office he shared with Duo and began, pulling up the daily planner on his laptop to go over the work scheduled for him and his partner that day, "Today, we need to double check the intel on the Metcafe case, then we need to get Une the reports on Sheffield. After that I need to go over the damage claims by Saffron, Inc. from that assignment last month. Do you have those ready yet Duo?"

"I think Fei's been feeling really down lately," Duo said suddenly, swirling his coffee mug around a bit before taking a sip thoughtfully, unwittingly throwing Heero for a loop with his completely unrelated answer to the man's question.

". . . What?" Heero asked; it was as monotone as anything else the man ever said, but the pause before he said it signified his bewilderment at Duo's sudden statement as much as his tone and expression hid it; at least to Duo's sharp senses.

"Wufei, I think he might be seriously depressed," Duo reiterated to his unimpressed partner.

Heero was silent for a long moment, debating on ignoring the unrelated topic in favor of returning his attention to the task on hand, but Duo was giving him that _look_. It said: _No, I'm not letting this go; yes, I consider it more important than work, and you're just going to have to deal with that_. In the ten months Heero had been living with the other man, he had learned to recognize that look very well, and he had never once been able to win against that look; it made him feel strangely whipped. After another moment of stern staring, Heero sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"And why would you say that?" he finally asked, giving Duo the cue he was looking for to vent whatever was on his mind without much of a fight.

It was something that only a few months ago Duo would have had to annoy Heero all day to get out of him in a more often then not frustrated and angry inquiry and a thinly veiled threat to his personal safety. Heero had slowly learned that every now and then, Duo just needed to express a concern or doubt, and that it required at least feigned interest from his part. He didn't know when exactly his interest stopped being feigned and started becoming genuine.

"Well, you know how that last case went really badly for him . . ." Duo sighed and stared at his coffee, swirling it absently again.

"Chang has a thick skin. He's simply repenting for the casualties had. He'll get over it. He always does," Heero replied with something that would have been reassuring were it not for the dead monotone of his voice; as such it sounded like hollow comfort even to him.

"Yea, he does, but . . . I think maybe this time it's really getting to him more than usual. I mean, he's been using his china everyday for almost a whole month," Duo scribbled absently on a notepad as he spoke.

"His china? What does that have to do with anything?" he asked, now genuinely confused. Duo had a habit of bringing up minute little details into a conversation that left Heero flailing to following his logic.

"His china's got _everything_ to do with it! He only ever uses it when things are going crappy, you know? And with that last disaster of a case, Une hasn't assigned him anything new, to give him a break. But I think the idleness is only making things worse," Duo explained everything in a matter-of-fact tone, as if his train of thought was clear as day.

Heero sighed, turning back to his laptop. He had to agree, Wufei had seemed quite listless as of late, more than he'd ever seen the other man. But he hadn't thought that meant the man was seriously depressed; and there was certainly nothing _he_ could do about it. That suddenly made him realize why Duo was bringing this up; whenever Duo was feeling down after bad assignments, he played hookie from work, much to Commander Une's ire. With an all-suffering sigh, Heero rubbed a hand over his face, and gave Duo a wry look.

"Why don't you go pester him, then? I'll take cover for you today, _only_ today," Heero said in an annoyed tone, turning back to his laptop and studiously ignoring the brilliant smile that now lit up Duo's face.

"Great!" the chestnut haired man exclaimed as he hopped out of his chair and bounced, yes _bounced_, across the office to Heero's desk where he dropped a stack of files, "The Metcafe intel cleared, my half of Sheffield is done, and we were so not responsible for the architecturally unsound design of Saffron's lobby. They're a multi-million dollar corp, they can afford a few renovations on out of their own pockets!"

With that, Duo revealed he had already had his hookie day planned out from the start; and with the work done and placed before him, really what reason did Heero have to stop him from leaving and dragging Chang along on some misadventure for the day? It seemed it wasn't Duo's but Chang's work he would be covering for the day. He looked up and was about to reply to Duo, but whatever he was going to say flew completely out of his mind when Duo leaned in quickly and pecked him on the cheek before he could react. The next second the braided boy was halfway out the office calling over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Heero! You're the best! I owe you!"

And with that he was gone, leaving Heero to blink at the spot Duo had just been standing in, trying to tell the sudden giddy elation coursing through his veins to piss off.

* * *

Wufei sat in his plush office chair ignoring the paperwork he should have been doing in favor of enjoying the view of the city's main park that his office provided. It was a beautiful expanse of green among the concrete and steel surrounding it, filled with trees and a large lake in the center. Sure enough, sitting before him on his desk was an innocent looking, and rather ornate china tea cup.

Not too far away lay a small black lacquered box, decorated in gold and red lines with an intricate dragon design; the insignia of his clan. The lid was ajar revealing a red satin interior, surrounding several other pieces of delicate and rather expensive looking china, matching the cup on his desk. They were family heirlooms, dating nearly a thousand years before the colonies; they were priceless; they had been his wedding gift to Meiran.

Not that the girl had appreciated them much; she would have been happier with a weapon. But it was tradition in his family to pass on the lacquer box full of china to from mother to daughter. Having only had a son, Wufei's mother insisted it be passed on to her new daughter-in-law; and so it came into Meiran's possession when he gifted it to her. The box now served as one of the few possessions to survive the destruction of his colony; one of the only things left to him of his heritage, family, or history. It was a secret treasure to him now, and a secret comfort no one knew he indulged in when the pressures of the world became too much.

He carefully removed the lid from his cup, sliding it along the rim, until it was almost completely off before he lifted the cup with his other hand and brought it to his lips for a drink, letting the chamomile tea soothe his senses. Just as he set the lip back on, Wufei heard someone knock lightly on the frame of his office door. He looked up, surprised to see Duo walk in with a decidedly mischievous smile on his face; he was instantly wary.

"Hiya Wuffles! I have a surprise for you!" Duo bounded over to the other man, plopping down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. The room smelled faintly of chamomile, and Duo couldn't help but follow the movements of Wufei's hands as he set the china cup down.

"And what would that be, Maxwell?" Wufei replied with a heavy sigh, looking at Duo dryly.

"Well," Duo said, pretending to be miffed, "You could be a little more enthusiastic!"

"I am enthusiastic. Witness my enthusiasm," Wufei deadpanned.

Duo snorted and laughed before getting to business, "Well, then I am hereby invoking a personal day, and you're gonna leave this joint with me and keep me out of trouble for the next 12 or so hours."

Wufei was not amused, "And why the blazes would I do that, Maxwell?"

"Because you've been using your china cup everyday for almost a month," Duo intoned lightly, watching Wufei's reaction.

The Chinese agent looked up sharply at that, eyes narrow as he searched Duo's face, tension clear in his shoulders. He shouldn't have been surprised really. Duo was an extremely perceptive fellow, and a close friend; a friend that Wufei cared for more deeply then he probably should, but one he couldn't help but love in moments like these. Wufei was a very private person, and had been very careful of not showing off his heirloom to others, or that he took comfort in it. But Duo had still noticed; and that was why Wufei loved him.

He very slowly and very deliberately slid the lid off his cup and brought it to his lips, drinking the last bit of tea left, before setting it carefully down on its plate and replacing the lid almost reverently. When he finished, he looked at Duo again, brow raised, daring him to say anything more; after a moment of silence, the side of his mouth quirked up in half a smirk.

"Une is going to kill us," he said wryly.

"Then let's make it worth it!" Duo grinned.

The day was spent doing a myriad of activities. They spent the first several hours in a Pre-colony museum, not too far from Preventers HQ, alternately marveling or laughing at the fashions, tools, concepts or notions and other remnants of eras past. They then headed to a comedy club for lunch. Wufei had been hesitant, but relented at Duo's insistence that laughter was a cure-all; they ended up staying until their sides were sore. Afterwards Duo dragged a reluctant Wufei to the local amusement park, where they nearly lost the lunch they had recently ingested after one too many rides. It was nearing sunset by the time Wufei pulled them in the direction of the city's central library; to most people's surprise, Duo actually loved to read. They finally left at closing time around ten 'o clock, after having browsed all over the four story building, each recommending to the other different authors and novels.

They had missed dinner, so they stopped by a little Asian restaurant and picked up orders to go. The restaurant was on one of the riverside streets, with a nice view of the water and the shining lights of the city as it sprawled across the opposite bank. The boys decided to take their meal across the street to the rusted metal landing overlooking the embankment. There they were opening their bags and taking out their meal cartons, when Duo suddenly cried out in dismay.

"Aww, man!" he whined, "They only gave me chopsticks!"

"Well, it _is_ an _Asian_ restaurant, Duo," Wufei kindly reminded him and chuckled as Duo glared at him.

"I know that! But I can't eat with chopsticks to save my life!" Duo complained.

"Don't be ridiculous," Wufei said, breaking apart his own and taking a bite of his food, "It's easy. And you live with Yuy for crying out loud. Hasn't he taught you to use them?"

"Oh right, sure. _Easy_. Only if you've been using them all your life," Duo said sarcastically, then added with a small pout, "And he has, but I still can't get it right. He says I'm hopeless."

"Nonsense," Wufei declared, a bit angered at hearing about anyone calling Duo hopeless, "He's simply covering his failure as a teacher. Come here."

Duo moved closer to the Chinese man, leaning on the railing; it creaked and he glanced warily at it for a second before turning to Wufei. Duo let him maneuver his hand into holding the chopsticks correctly, and show him how to utilize them to pick up food.

"See, hold it like that. Okay. Now move your fingers, no just these two, see?" Wufei demonstrated with his own pair of chopsticks, "You got it, now try pick something up."

Duo tried, but failed to maintain a grip long enough to get the food into his mouth, making him growl with frustration, "I can't do it. It's impossible!"

"No it's not, try again. Here," Wufei moved closer to Duo and looped his arm behind his shoulders to take hold of Duo's hand; holding it in his own, he guided Duo's movements, picking up moving food around several times, before finally commanding, "Now do it on your own."

Duo creased his brow in concentration and picked up a small lump of rice, keeping hold of it as he lifted to his mouth, and then by some miracle, he managed to get it past his lips without dropping it. He turned wide violet eyes to the man beside him.

"I did it! It's a miracle! Thanks Sifu Wufei!" Duo exclaimed happily, carefully trying again and cheering when he succeeded once more.

"Oh good grief," Wufei rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, "Now, you can go home and show off your new skills to Yuy."

Duo snorted his rice, and coughed violently for a minute. Wufei was at his side in a moment's notice, patting his back and passing him his drink. But Duo refused the drink, preferring to dissolve into a puddle of breathless laughter.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Wufei asked bewildered.

"Sorry," Duo said through his giggles, "The first thing that popped into my head when you said that was—"

"Oh! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Wufei swatted the back of Duo's head gruffly, but this only made the braided boy laugh harder. Wufei turned back to his meal in a huff, stuffing a piece of food in his mouth whenever his treacherous lips felt like smiling.

Duo's laughter died down slowly, and they finished their meal in companionable silence, watching the city lights reflect off the river's surface. Wufei collected their trash when they finished, and left briefly to dispose of it. When he came back, Duo had his arms draped over the railing, leaning forward so that his feet were barely touching the ground. A small smile graced his lips, as his hands played with the end of the long braid hanging over his shoulder as he swung slightly on the rail, ignoring its groan of protest. The sight made Wufei pause; he looked so content, almost childlike as he swung absently, his figure haloed by the shining lights of the city. Wufei could have stared at the sight forever, but the moment was broken when Duo turned to him and blinked.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, wiping at his mouth self-consciously and effectively ruining the blissful picture of just moments before.

Wufei sighed and shook his head at him, moving to stand next to him and stare out at the water reflecting the city lights. This day felt almost surreal, like a dream, and yet it was also torture, however sweet. Wufei had made many efforts to express his deeper feelings to Duo for some time now. He was the most perceptive man Wufei had ever known, so he that knew it wasn't out of ignorance that Duo ignored his sometimes blatant signs of interest in him. Duo, unfortunately, was madly in love with one of the most socially and romantically challenged people on the planet, Heero Yuy. And as much as Wufei tried not to be jealous, he couldn't help himself in moments such as this when he wished more then anything to have Duo regard him with the same amount of love in his violets eyes that he looked at Heero with.

"You feeling better?" Duo's asked quietly ending the silence between them. Wufei's eyes shifted to look at him, but he didn't turn his head.

"Yea," he sighed eventually, "Thank you, Duo. I . . . I needed this."

Duo smiled warmly, "Sure. Anytime Fei."

Wufei smiled back, and stepped up to the railing, leaning his body weight on it as well. The metal groaned loudly, and something snapped. Suddenly the two Preventers agents found themselves falling over the landing and into the cold dark waters of the river below as the railing gave way. Wufei surfaced with a gasped and quickly brushed his hair out of his eyes in annoyance.

"Duo?" Wufei called out for the former Deathscythe pilot, as he treaded water, the river was calm but deep here. Wufei turned at the sound of a gasp followed by laughter.

"Over here," the long-haired young man answered chuckling.

They swam to a small boardwalk, lower than the landing they'd been on, but with a ladder to the street above. Duo reached it first, grabbing hold of the edge and hauling himself up with a grunt. He turned to give Wufei a hand up.

"Well, that was refreshing," Duo said amiably as his hand closed around Wufei's forearm.

"We ought to sue the city," Wufei replied sourly, taking hold of Duo as well.

Duo chuckled, and pulled Wufei up, suddenly slipping on the old slightly moss covered wood, and landing on his rump with Wufei on his knees in front of him, not three inches from his face. Violet met onyx, and the next thing Duo knew, his apology was being swallowed up by Wufei's mouth on his own. The dark haired man took advantaged of Duo's surprised gasp to deepen the kiss for a dizzying moment, before Duo managed to pull away gently.

"Mnn— Fei . . . " Duo said as he broke the kiss and trailed off, blushing hotly. He had known for some time that his friend harbored deeper feelings for him, yet he was still taken by surprise by the sudden kiss.

"Sorry . . . sorry. I just— sorry," Wufei stood up quickly, and started walking towards the ladder leading to the street.

"Fei. _Fei!_ Wait, please," Duo hastened after him and grabbed his arm; Wufei stopped but didn't look at him, "I'm the one that should be sorry. I've known . . . for a while. But you've never actually said anything, so I thought that if I didn't say . . .Tsk, I didn't mean to mislead you today I . . . Fei, you're one of my best friends. I don't ever want to hurt you . . . "

Duo trailed off as Wufei turned around and placed a finger on his lips.

"Do you really love him that much?" Wufei asked quietly, almost defeated; they both knew who he was referring to.

"Yes," Duo answered without hesitation, looking directly into Wufei's saddened eyes. The Chinese man sighed and pulled Duo into a hug, resting his cheek on the other's wet hair.

"But can he love you back, Duo? Does he even know how?" Wufei inquired after a minute.

"He's learning to feel. Little by little, Fei. I see it everyday. And, the way he looks at me sometimes. There's something there, I just know it," Duo spoke softly into Wufei's shoulder, starting to shiver a bit in his cold wet clothes.

"You _do_ always notice what others don't. But still Duo, I just . . . don't want you to be like me. Looking for love where it can't be found," Wufei said in a slightly morose tone. He regretted it when Duo pulled away from his embrace to pin him with guilty-looking eyes.

"Fei—"

"Shush," he quieted him once again, "You're shivering. C'mon, let's get you home."

They walked in companionable silence the short distance to Duo's apartment building, getting strange looks from passerby due to their soaked clothing. When they reached the building Duo turned and faced his friend, eyeing him dubiously.

"I won't be seeing that china around tomorrow, will I?" he raised a chestnut brow at Wufei.

"No. No, you won't. Thank you," he told him seriously, bowing low.

"Stop that! It's embarrassing," Duo blushed slightly at Wufei's gesture, stopping the taller man briefly as he was straightening and kissing him on the cheek, "G'nite, Fei."

" . . . See you tomorrow," Wufei said with a blink and a parting nod, turning a little too late to hide the blush beginning to stain his face and neck.

Duo smiled to himself and headed inside his building and straight for the elevator. Getting off on his floor, he walked to the end of the hall to the door of the little apartment he shared with Heero. He opened it quietly, hoping to sneak into the bathroom before Heero noticed he was back. Tiptoeing into the apartment he saw the Japanese man seated at their tiny dining table in the kitchen, tapping away at his laptop. _Bills_, Duo thought, and quietly made for the bathroom, but he froze with an unseen grimace when Heero suddenly spoke up.

"You owe me new eardrums," Heero stated in an almost annoyed tone, still typing.

"Une blow a gasket?" Duo asked.

"My ears were ringing for an hour," Heero replied as he looked over his shoulder, "Why are you all wet?"

"Took a little dip in the river— by accident," he added when Heero gave him the _'Are you crazy?' _look.

Heero turned back around without responding and resumed his typing. Duo took that as his cue to grab a shower and change of clothes. An hour later, Duo shuffled into the kitchen in a pair of flannel pajama pants that were much too long for him, and one of Heero's hoodies, which he was also drowning in. Heero was still at the computer, and a brief glance told Duo he was now working on some Preventers related report. Pulling his chair closer to Heero's, the longhaired teen sat down and promptly rested his head on the table, so he could look at Heero as he worked. His loose, still damp hair spilled around him like a bronze curtain.

"You're wearing my hoodie," Heero remarked, eyes flicking briefly away from the screen to look at Duo.

"It's comfy," Duo replied with a smile, snuggling into it just to make his point. His hair slipped into his face at the movement, obstructing his view of Heero; he blew it away with an irritated puff of air, "Guess what! Fei taught me how to use chopsticks! I can really eat with them now!"

"Hn, is that so? Took you long enough," Heero replied without pausing in his typing.

"Hey! It's not my fault I had a horrible teacher!" Duo stuck out his tongue, blowing hair out of his face once more, before launching into an account of everything he and Wufei had done during the day.

Heero never once stopped typing, but did make the occasionally hum or snort to show he was actually paying attention. It was routine after all the years. The only difference between that moment and the times during the war where Duo would run his mouth, was that since moving in Duo had slowly taught him how to participate in his conversations, however small that participation was. He was obligated to pay attention; Duo had told him so when he first moved in. Funny thing was that it didn't really feel like an obligation, not anymore. In fact, the time he spent at the table typing on his laptop before Duo had returned had seemed terribly strange to him for a reason he could not comprehend; until Heero had looked over at the empty chair beside him, and realized how terribly inadequate the clacking of the keyboard was at breaking the silence of their little apartment. Now with Duo seated in the chair, wearing his hoodie without permission, chatting in an endless stream, things just seemed right in the world.

As Duo spoke, his bangs annoyingly kept falling into his eyes. Each time they did so, he would pause in his tale to blow them away, only to have them slide back down into his face a few moments later. After several minutes of this, Heero abruptly stopped typing, and Duo flashed back to the war, to a time when that gesture meant Heero was going to chew him out for disturbing his work and walk out on Duo; but instead the other young man reached out and brushed Duo's hair away from his face and behind his ears, keeping the annoying bangs from flying in his face again. Duo blinked; once, twice, and then smiled brightly at Heero. It grew to a grin when the other man returned to his typing calmly, but with a bit of pink dusting his cheeks.

And there it was. That something he had told Wufei about. He knew in that instant that he wasn't 'looking for love where it couldn't be found'. It was in Heero _somewhere_, and bit by bit, he was going to drag it out. Duo chuckled, snuggling into the warmth of Heero's hoodie and resumed telling his story.

* * *

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-- Owari --


End file.
